Disaster Response for Pregnant and Postpartum Families
Birth Does Not Pause for Disaster
Floods do not stop labor.
Power outages do not stop newborn hunger.
Evacuations do not pause postpartum recovery.
When systems fail, families still give birth.
RESPITE the System was created to close the gap between emergency response and perinatal reality. We integrate Disaster Doulas and collaborating midwives into disaster conditions to stabilize care, protect infant feeding, and prevent secondary harm.
This is not charity work.
This is infrastructure work.
Hurricane Helene | Western North Carolina | 2024
In 2024, when Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, RESPITE the System and the Perinatal Health Coalition were formed in direct response.
We mobilized local donation efforts and collected:
• Midwifery and birth supplies
• Clean infant feeding kits
• Baby carriers
• Blankets and winter gear for displaced families
Community partners including Home Depot and Walmart contributed materials that helped stabilize early response efforts.
Our founder packed her car and deployed south.
No grant cycle.
No preexisting infrastructure.
Just immediate mobilization.
Stabilizing Infant Feeding in Emergencies
Supporting Infant and Child Feeding in Emergencies
North Carolina Breastfeeding Coalition
During deployment across Western North Carolina and Tennessee, we worked alongside the birth community and infant feeding leaders to prevent avoidable harm.
Infrastructure instability disrupted safe preparation and storage of infant feeding supplies. Formula was being prepared in less than ideal conditions. Sanitation protocols were inconsistent. Reports of gastrointestinal illness in infants began increasing.
In disaster conditions, even small breakdowns in feeding safety can escalate quickly.
RESPITE supported the removal of thousands of expired formula cans from supply hubs and reinforced evidence based Infant Feeding in Emergencies protocols.
We delivered:
• Over 100 baby carriers to support infant regulation and caregiver mobility
• Hundreds of blankets and warmth supplies for displaced families
• Midwifery supply kits to sustain out of hospital providers
• Clean feeding kits distributed alongside safety education
• Postpartum recovery supplies for mothers navigating displacement
Distribution was coordinated through local hubs and birth community networks to reduce duplication, waste, and risk.
This was organized perinatal stabilization.
Advocacy During Crisis
Disasters expose the fractures that already exist inside systems.
During deployment, our founder connected with a mother who had spent nearly ten hours digging her children out of a landslide after the storm.
The family survived the initial disaster, but the instability that followed created additional challenges. After being discharged from the hospital, the mother was moved between shelters while trying to stabilize her children and recover from the event. During this period of displacement, she was later arrested and her children were placed into DSS custody.
What began as a natural disaster quickly became a prolonged crisis for the family.
Jenny stepped in to support advocacy efforts and community coordination around the case. While disaster response often focuses on supplies and logistics, situations like this highlight the importance of advocacy and family stabilization during recovery.
Community members rallied to support the mother and her children. Nearly 30,000 dollars was raised to assist the family while legal and advocacy efforts unfolded. Over the following months, continued support and coordinated advocacy helped bring attention to the case and stabilize resources around the family.
Eventually, the children were reunited and returned home.
For Jenny, this experience reinforced an important lesson.
Disaster response is not only about food, water, and supplies. It is also about protecting families from secondary harm that can occur when systems are overwhelmed and people fall through the cracks.
Perinatal disaster response must include advocacy safeguards, community coordination, and long term support for vulnerable families navigating crisis recovery.
You can read the full story of this family and the advocacy effort that followed here.
Building a Perinatal Disaster Response Model
RESPITE is developing a scalable Perinatal Disaster Response framework centered around trained Disaster Doulas and collaboration with birth professionals, public health leaders, and community organizations.
Disaster Doulas are perinatal professionals prepared to operate ethically and within scope during:
• Natural disasters
• Infrastructure collapse
• Mass displacement
• Shelter based births
• Public health emergencies
Our model includes:
• Regional Disaster Doula teams prepared for rapid deployment
• Collaboration with midwives and birth professionals
• Infant Feeding in Emergencies education
• Mobile perinatal supply caches
• Emergency birth and postpartum kits
• Trauma informed advocacy systems
• Integration with public health and emergency management planning
Perinatal care should not be improvised during disaster.
It should already be embedded into the response system.
Community Education and Preparedness
Disaster preparedness does not begin when the storm arrives. It begins long before through community education and professional training.
RESPITE works to bring this knowledge into the public through regional events, professional gatherings, and hands on training opportunities.
One of the primary ways we do this is through the WOMB Summit and Expo, an annual gathering focused on maternal health, emergency preparedness, and community resilience.
The WOMB Summit brings together:
• Doulas and midwives
• Public health professionals
• Emergency responders
• Infant feeding specialists
• Community advocates
• Families preparing for birth
Through workshops, panels, and skill based training, the Summit helps prepare both professionals and families to better support pregnant and postpartum people when systems are strained.
Topics include:
• Infant Feeding in Emergencies
• Community based disaster response
• Birth support during infrastructure disruptions
• Trauma informed crisis care
• Maternal health gaps during emergencies
Education is a core pillar of RESPITE's work.
When communities understand how to protect pregnant and postpartum families during disaster, outcomes improve and unnecessary harm can be prevented.
Preparedness is not only about supplies.
It is about knowledge, coordination, and building resilient networks before the next crisis.